NEW CHINA AND THE PRINTED PAGE
lists of newspapers that would use a free
press service and lists of prominent Chi
nese to whom might be sent important
documents dealing with the war.
American Government wireless sent the
speeches of President Wilson to the Far
East, and for the first time the American
point of view had an adequate presenta
tion to the Chinese public.
The effect was magical. Even the fail
ure of the Peace Conference to give
actuality to the promises that were be
lieved to be contained in the principles of
Mr. Wilson did not wholly eradicate the
effect of the work.
ONLY TWO SOURCES FOR CHINA'S NEWS
SUPPLY
Another, and more dangerous, attempt
to control Chinese opinion is to be seen
in the domination of the news supply of
the country. Generally speaking, the
problem of public opinion is a problem
of the control of the sources of news.
The Chinese newspaper has passed the
point where it can be a mere "journal of
opinion."
It must present news.
At the present time it is practically de
pendent upon two sources. One is that
supplied by the Reuter Agency, a British
company which has had a virtual mo
nopoly since the elimination of the Ger
man service. This is the service used by
the papers published in English, but it is
too expensive for use by the majority of
the Chinese papers. They can take ad
vantage of it only by translating articles
seen in the foreign dailies and reprinting
them after their value as news has largely
passed.
From an American standpoint, the
value of the Reuter service is very limited,
as the London office from which it issues
is more interested in the results of a race
run at Epsom Downs or the make-up of
Lady Somerset's week-end party than in
political or economic developments in the
United States.
With Reuter's closed because of the
high cost, the Chinese editor has practi
cally only one other resource. He has to
accept the news service offered by the
Japanese. The rates are very low, and in
some cases it is given free, when there is
a reason for doing so. In more than 300
of the 450 daily newspapers published in
China, this is the service used. To be
sure, there are Chinese services, but these
are still so undeveloped as to be unsatis
factory.
The Japanese, with their offer of cheap
news, almost control the field.
The Students' Movement of China has
relied for its influence upon two forces
the power of the press and the power of
the voice. Student orators have lined the
streets of the cities, telling the tale of the
weakness and corruption of the central
government, and papers and pamphlets
have been used to penetrate where the
voice could not.
More interesting is the so-called Ren
aissance Movement, which centers in the
National University of Peking. A hun
dred years from now the historian may
speak of this movement as the most
potent force in the making of New China.
It is almost entirely a literary move
ment. Its purposes are not primarily
political, as are those of the Student
Movement; but they are more likely to
change fundamentally the political order.
Essentially the Renaissance Movement
is a revolt against authority. Old beliefs
of all kinds are attacked-in the realm
of religion, philosophy, social relations,
and literature.
The outstanding figure is Dr. Hu Shih,
a brilliant scholar, educated in America,
whose fine ideals and untiring energies
have aroused a response in every student
center in China. Behind him stands Tsai
Yuan-pei, formerly Chancellor of the Na
tional University, who, upon the advent
of the Southern army into Shanghai a
few weeks ago, was made the central
head of the new civil government for
the whole province. Practically all the
faculty of this school is engaged in set
ting the purposes of the movement before
the nation.
RENAISSANCE MOVEMENT ABANDONS OLD
LITERARY FORM
In the realm of literature, a striking
characteristic of the Renaissance Move
ment has been the abandonment of the
literary form (Wen Chang) of the an
cient classics, written by sages and used
by famous writers of various periods,
in favor of Kuo-yii, or colloquial speech.
Only a scholar can write well in the lit-
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